Safia is a distinctive choice, ranked #1262 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Safia in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#1262
About the Name Safia
Safia has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 270 places in five years. It was most popular in 1999 at #440 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Safia is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Safia
Unlikely. With around 26 UK babies named Safia per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Safia in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Safia has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 270 places in the last five years. Its peak was #440 in 1999. Choosing it now means she is likely to be among the last of her generation with this name.
Safia is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Safia include: Safia Djelal — Sofia Djelal is a Paralympian athlete from Algeria competing mainly in category F56-58 javelin throw events.; Safia Lebdi — Safia Lebdi is a French politician and activist.; Safia Abdul Rahman — Safia Abdul Rahman is a Ghanaian footballer who played as a forward for the Ghana women's national team..
Safia does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Safias in the wild.
26
UK babies named Safia (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 270 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Safia
Likely around 1 other Safia in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Safia
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Safia Lebdi is a French politician and activist. Advocating feminism and secularism, and a member of Europe Écologie Les Verts, in 2007 she created the Insoumis-es movement, of which she is president.
Safia Abdul Rahman is a Ghanaian footballer who played as a forward for the Ghana women's national team. In November 2016, she was named the captain of the Black Queens for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Safia Middleton-Patel is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Manchester United of the Women's Super League, and the Wales national team.
Safia Farkash Gaddafi is a Libyan businesswoman. As the widow of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, she is the former First Lady of Libya and Representative of Sirte, and the mother of seven of Gaddafi's eight biological children, some of whom participated in his regime.
Safia Amajan, also spelt Ama-jan, Ama Jan, Ahmed-jan and Ahmed Jan, was an Afghan women's rights activist, educator, politician, and critic of the Taliban's suppression of women, who was shot and killed in 2006, reportedly by the Taliban.
Safia Elhillo is a Sudanese-American poet known for her written and spoken poetry. Elhillo received a BA degree from the Gallatin School at New York University and an MFA in poetry from The New School.